The golden screen exploded with light.
RANK : Dragon Qi Rank 4
Roran staggered, leaning on his sword, the exhaustion finally hitting him. He had found the true meaning of the Heavenly Dragon Technique it wasn't just about strength; it was about understanding. The Heavenly Dragon Technique drew its power not from domination, but from unity between body and spirit, will and compassion, heaven and earth.
He had reached Rank 4. He was now a true force on the Scarlet Plains. He collected the Lynx's claw and, without resting, moved further into the territory of the Level 6 beasts, ready to continue his silent, deadly hunt.
Three brutal years had passed since Roran stumbled out of the golden cavern. The Scarlet Plains, once a terrifying death trap, had become his relentless, blood-soaked training ground. The boy who was expelled from the Academy was now a hardened warrior, every inch of his being forged in combat.
He had long since surpassed the Level 6 territory and continued his relentless advance. By combining the physical reinforcement of the Heavenly Dragon Technique with endless practice, Roran achieved the necessary control to ascend.
DRAGON STATUS (CURRENT)
RANK
Dragon Qi Rank 6
This rank meant his physical statistics were astronomically high, likely reaching the realm of Strength 150 or higher, granting him strength equal to a full-fledged Master Knight. His physical prowess, combined with his pure, undetectable Dragon Qi, made him a spectral assassin in the red mist.
He had successfully unsealed and mastered the first six fundamental moves of the Heavenly Dragon Slashes. These techniques were all about lethal, precise application of Dragon Qi. Sunder and Pierce served as his primary offensive tools, designed to break through thick defenses or find minute weak points, respectively. For defense and flow, he utilized Barrier, a sudden outward burst of Qi to stop momentum, and Flow, which allowed him to chain complex movements while maintaining perfect balance. The most advanced techniques were Echo, a rapid reversal used for double-striking a single point, and Silence, the ultimate application of Qi control that cloaked his sword strikes and movements from magical detection.
He had also successfully unlocked his first major skill, the fearsome Dragon Roar, though he reserved its devastating power only for situations of extreme danger.
The three-year harvest culminated in Roran's final proving fight against an Obsidian Rhino a massive, Level 8 beast whose hide was like volcanic rock and whose charges created localized earthquakes. This beast was the benchmark of his new power.
Roran didn't waste movement. He activated Silence, wrapping his Dragon Qi around him like a cloak, rendering him a ghost to the Rhino's magical senses. He expertly dodged the Rhino's first devastating horn sweep by pivoting on one foot, using the perfect timing drilled by the Flow technique. The beast could only sense him as a slight disruption in the air.
The Rhino relied on its Stone Skin skill, which diverted all but the most powerful attacks. Roran knew brute force wasn't the answer even his strike would likely fail. Instead, he channeled his Dragon Qi, refined and pure, into the very tip of his fine sword.
"Heavenly Dragon Slash Pierce," Roran whispered.
He thrust the blade at the Rhino's eye. The Rhino slammed its massive head down, expecting the attack to glance off its thick brow. Instead, the Pierce technique focused Roran's entire physical and spiritual force into a microscopic point. The blade bypassed the thick dermal layers and shattered the Obsidian Rhino's brain with a sickening internal crack.
The Level 8 beast stumbled for a moment, then collapsed, its heavy body shaking the earth. Roran secured the core and walked away, his mission accomplished. He was ready for the next stage.
The ground suddenly began to tremble violently, a familiar but vastly amplified shaking. Roran recognized the signature impact of the Level 10 beasts. The two rivals were fighting again, deeper in the plains.
He moved toward the epicenter, scaling a craggy mountain peak for a vantage point. Below him, two forces of nature were tearing the world apart: the Skyfire Eagle and the Mountain King Tiger.
The Eagle, a magnificent creature wreathed in blue-hot plasma, dove and soared, leaving trails of Skyfire Rain that melted the rock below. The Tiger, a colossal beast whose stripes glowed with stored earth energy, countered with sheer, terrifying physical might and a unique ability: the Void Pounce, which allowed it to briefly step out of reality to cover massive distance instantly.
Roran watched, hidden by his Silence technique, waiting patiently for the moment of exhaustion. The battle raged for hours.
The Tiger, using its Void Pounce, finally cornered the Eagle on a jutting spire of rock, landing a massive, bone-jarring blow. The Eagle was fatally wounded, its brilliant plasma fading to a weak, sputtering orange.
The Tiger advanced for the kill, but the Eagle had one last, desperate attack. The wounded bird shrieked, its dying energy condensed into a single, blinding spike of Life-Drain Fire. The spike hit the Tiger's chest, leaving a catastrophic, steaming wound that ripped away flesh and mana in equal measure.
Both are collapsed, the Tiger sliding into the valley, and the Eagle plummeting near the mountain's base.
Roran moved instantly, racing down the perilous slope toward the Eagle first. The beast was lying still, its enormous wings shattered, its Skyfire essence leaking away like smoke. He knelt by its head, his sword ready but lowered.
Suddenly, a clear, desperate feminine voice echoed directly in his mind, ignoring the normal barriers of speech.
"You… human… please… my strength wanes. Take the egg. My child must live. Protect my child. My Core… take it… it's all I can offer."
Roran understood. The magnificent beast was speaking to him through the last moments of its consciousness. It gestured weakly with its beak toward a large, perfectly oval egg nestled beneath its broken wing.
Roran spoke aloud, his voice rough from three years of silence. "I will take your child. I will protect it with my life."
A look of peace crossed the Eagle's huge, golden eyes. It exhaled one last breath, and its life force winked out. Roran extracted the massive, pulsating Level 10 Skyfire Core and then gently lifted the egg, securing it carefully inside his coat. He took some of the dense flesh, which would be invaluable for his future training, and then performed a simple farewell ceremony a moment of silent prayer for the powerful beast who entrusted him with her legacy.
Next, Roran moved to the valley where the Mountain King Tiger lay. The beast was massive and barely alive, its colossal chest wound still bleeding profusely onto the black earth.
As Roran approached, the Tiger's head snapped up. It had used too much energy in the final attack, but its instincts were still sharp. Recognizing Roran as a threat, it gathered every last ounce of its dying strength.
With a final, terrible roar, it lunged, not with a pounce, but with a massive, desperate claw strike aimed straight for Roran's head. It was an attack born of survival instinct, carrying the full, fatal power of a Level 10 beast at the point of death.
Roran had no time to dodge. He instinctively channeled all his Dragon Qi into a massive defensive wall the Heavenly Dragon Slash - Barrier.
The impact was cataclysmic. CRACK!
Roran's sword, used as a focal point for the Barrier, held, but the sheer kinetic force of the dying Level 10 strike hammered Roran's body. The Barrier saved his life, but the leftover shockwave rattled every internal organ. Roran flew backward, slamming into the earth and spitting a mouthful of hot, black blood. He was heavily, internally damaged.
When he looked up, the Tiger was still. It had expired the moment its final blow landed.
Roran crawled forward, his chest on fire. Beside the massive, cooling body, he saw it: a tiny, newborn Tiger cub, its eyes still closed, nuzzling its lifeless mother's side.
Roran gently lifted the cub and secured the massive, earth-shaking Level 10 Mountain King Core.
With two cores and two companions secured, Roran knew he needed immediate, absolute security to recover and advance. He returned to the deepest, most secure corner of the golden cavern.
The cores were too powerful for his current Dragon Qi Rank 6 to absorb safely; they would be saved for the next great breakthrough. His immediate priority was the bond.
He placed the Skyfire Eagle egg and the small, blind Mountain King cub on the clean stone floor. Roran knew that in the wild, the strongest bond was the Blood Oath.
He sliced his palm again, allowing his Dragon's Vessel blood to drip onto the fur of the cub and the smooth shell of the egg.
As the blood touched them, a connection unlike anything Roran had ever known snapped into place. He felt a protective warmth spread from his Dragon Heart. The bond was instant and absolute.
Suddenly, Roran felt three hearts beating in unison: his own, the tiny pulse of the cub, and the strong, hidden life force within the egg. He could sense their location, their fear, and their needs as if they were extensions of his very own core.
Roran had entered the Scarlet Plains alone, weak, and disgraced. Three years later, he had achieved Rank 6, mastered six lethal techniques, and acquired two Level 10 Cores and two powerful, loyal companions. The true journey of the Dragon's Vessel had finally begun.